Wetdog

This London, UK-based trio were first introduced to many with the most misleading of descriptions: "the British Vivian Girls." Wrong on so many levels, the only similarities to the Brooklyn garage gals are that they are in fact an all-girl trio and that they too are releasing something on Blank Dog Mike Sniper's Captured Tracks label. Wetdog instead sound right out of their hometown, but more like it was 30 years ago. Steeped in DIY ethics and minimalism, they come across as one of those lost bands from the original post-punk era, but Wetdog aren't as paint-by-numbers as most bands in their boat. The rhythms are clunky and erratic, the guitars angular and spiky, and the lyrics derisive and punk, almost as if the Fall were fronted by a scowling yet astute Riot Grrl instead of a villainous curmudgeon. But like every third Fall album over the years, Frauhaus! becomes forgettable by shunning melodies and choruses, confining them to this bold sound, leaving them admiring bands like the Raincoats and Delta 5 from afar instead of joining in.